The Nightmare
by twinkminded
Summary: When Justin has a horrible nightmare, Ethan has to seek help.


**I do not own QAF or any other the characters... unfortunately.**

**I had this idea while watching the beginning of season three for the first time. It just popped into my head and have finally put it to 'paper'. Hope you like it.**

Ethan groaned in annoyance. He loved Justin, but he hated when the guy had one of his nightmares. He usually had to shake Justin awake. He knew it wasn't anything major he had to do, but he got tired of being woken up in the middle of the night by his boyfriend's twisting around.

He rolled over though and sat up. He knew why Justin had the nightmares, a lingering effect of being bashed, so he tried to be understanding. After all, it was usually only about once a week. This though, this was the third this week, and the worst by the way Justin was twisting around, muttering in his sleep.

"Justin," he said, putting a hand on Justin's bare shoulder.

Justin tossed his head back and forth for a minute, his eyes squeezed tight, tears leaking from them.

Ethan hesitated. Justin hadn't cried during a nightmare, not even after one.

"Justin," he said again, louder, shaking his shoulder harder.

Justin cried out and suddenly curled into the fetal position, his whole body shaking.

"Justin," he said yet again, shaking him roughly. "Justin, wake up."

Justin started to sob and his hands moved up to clutch his head.

Ethan looked at him, having no idea what to do. When Justin had explained that he had nightmares, he said they were just little things, nothing serious anymore.

This was serious. And he didn't know what to do.

"Stop, stop, stop," Justin said in his sleep.

"Justin," he tried again, shaking him.

Justin clutched his head with his hands, curling his body even tighter together, it still shaking.

"Help," Justin cried out. "Brian!"

Ethan froze in the action of reaching for him again. Brian. He wanted Brian.

He gritted his teeth for a second then blew his breath out. It would be natural for Justin to be calling for Brian when having a nightmare like this, he'd been the person to help him through all his bad nightmares. He didn't like his lover calling for the man though.

"Justin, wake up," he said forcefully, starting to get really worried.

He jumped off the bed in surprise when Justin suddenly rolled over, thrashing out, his eyes still closed tight.

Ethan panted as he stared down at his boyfriend, who was always so sweet.

"Brian," Justin whispered brokenly, tears still felling from closed eyes. He curled back into the fetal position, his body shaking. "No!" There was fear in the cry.

"Justin," he yelled.

Justin didn't react to Ethan, just continued to shake and murmur through tears.

"Fuck," Ethan said. He didn't know what to do for his lover.

His eyes moved to where Justin had tossed his phone next to his computer, biting his lip. He hated the idea the popped in his head, but he was sure there was one person who would know what to do.

He picked up Justin's phone and pulled up his contract list, easily finding the one he needed.

He stood next to the bed, watching the Justin fight with some nightmare as the phone rang in his ear.

"Why the hell are you calling me in the middle of the night?" The voice on the other end snapped, almost drowned out by the loud music in the background.

"This isn't Justin," he said tensely.

"Who the hell is this?" Brian demanded. "What are you doing with his phone?"

"Something's wrong with him, Kinney," Ethan snapped.

There was a brief pause where Ethan could only hear the music. "What, Ian?"

Ethan bit back a remark about his name. This was not the time. He needed Kinney's help, as much as he hated to admit it. He loved Justin enough that he was willing to ask the older man to help.

"He's having some kind of horrible nightmare," he told him

"Wake him up," Brian ordered.

"Do you think I would be calling you if I could wake him?" He asked angrily. "He won't wake up. He won't stop shaking either."

"Shit," the man said. "Curled in a ball?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck, I'm coming over," he said in that take power voice Ethan had heard people use. "I can help."

Ethan gritted his teeth again. He did not want the asshole here. Looking at Justin as he lay shaking, struggling with his nightmare, he knew he had no choice.

"The address-"

"I know where you are," Brian said and the sound of music cut off.

Ethan gritted his teeth yet again, hating that even more. "Fine."

He hung up the phone and sat down next to Justin. He gently touched his lover's back, hoping he wouldn't lash out, and found it covered in sweat.

"God, Justin, wake up," he said. He'd never really thought of someone having nightmares like this. It scared him.

Looking at Justin as he cried and continued to whisper for help from Brian, he knew it had to be so much worse for Justin.

He sighed in relief as Justin seemed to calm down, though he didn't stop shaking. It was clear he was still trapped in the dream, but he'd at least calmed down a little.

He was surprised when there was a knock on his door after only ten minutes. Brian hadn't wasted time.

He stepped into a pair of jeans and opened the door.

The older man was dressed to be out (probably the club considering the music he'd heard), but his face showed worry.

Brian brushed past him without a word, going straight for the bed.

Ethan watched as the man sat on the bed and lifted Justin into his lap.

"Shh," Brian whispered in Justin's ear, his arms tight around the shaking man. "It's okay. It's a dream, Justin, just a dream. Just wake up and it's over."

Ethan leaned against the desk and watched, not knowing what else to do.

"Come on, Justin, wake up," Brian whispered. "All you have to do is wake up and it's over."

Justin continued to shake, but he curled into Brian move instead of himself.

Ethan gritted his teeth as Brian held Justin, whispering into his ear too softly for Ethan to hear. After all the yelling Ethan had done to wake Justin, he doubted Justin would hear the whispering.

Brian held Justin tight to him, rubbing his bare back with one hand, whispering, his eyes closed, a worried and tender look on his face.

He sighed in relief as Justin quit shaking.

"Brian?"

Ethan jumped in surprise at Justin's whisper.

Justin moved enough so that he could look at the man holding him and Ethan knew he was fucked.

The two men stared at each other, their faces less than an inch apart. Ethan could read the look in Brian's eyes. The older man loved Justin completely.

"Welcome back to the real world, Sunshine," Brian said softly, smiling faintly.

"I had another one, didn't I?" Justin whispered.

Brian nodded, his hold on Justin loosening. "You did," he said with a nod, the tone in his voice changing to be more neutral. "Luckily your boyfriend called me."

Justin tensed and turned to look at Ethan.

Ethan looked at his boyfriend, seeing that he was startled to find where he was. He also saw the emotion that Justin had just been showing Brian. Love.

Yeah, he was fuck.

Brian lifted Justin easily, set him on the bed, and stood up. "Bye," he said calmly and walked out of the apartment, pulling the door closed.

Ethan sighed and sat down next to Justin. "Are you okay?"

Justin nodded, still looking a little out of sorts.

"You've never had one like that," he said.

"I haven't had one in a long time," he said softly, looking at his hands.

"Justin," Ethan said slowly after a long second. "Do you love me?"

"Of course," Justin answered without looking at him.

"But you love Brian more," he stated.

Justin bit his bit.

"It's okay," he sighed. "I know."

Justin looked at him with those blue eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Ethan said touching his cheek. He kissed him lightly. "Now, go catch him before he gets too far away."

Justin gave him a tender smile and stood up.

Ethan watched as his lover pulled clothes on quickly and rushed out the door.

He got up after a minute and went to the window.

He saw Brian just opening the door to his jeep as Justin came rushing out of the building. He watched as the two men talked.

He smiled sadly, a tear making its way down his cheek, as the two men kissed. He'd had a time with Justin, but he just couldn't compete with the love he saw between those two.

He turned away from the window as Justin climbed into the jeep. He loved Justin, he really did, but he knew the blond was back with the man he really wanted.

Ethan got back into his bed, alone.


End file.
